"Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow ye diet." (Beymer)

.....Last night a former student of mine came here, who through circumstances too long to offer, has become like a third daughter. Her name is Magda Machado Garshol and she is married to a brilliant Norwegian gentleman named Knut....(pronounced k-noot). Magda lives down in Ft. Lauderdale and when she heard that I was in great pain from the surgery on my leg, she literally begged to be allowed to come to see me....even if it was just for a few moments, and then she would leave. I was not in the mood for company, but after a few weeks we made an appointment with her, and the arrangement was that she would make lasagna and we would all dine on that. However, we had to cancel that date, unfortunately, because I was severely under the weather, so to speak, after the poor girl had already made the lasagna. But last night was a successful event. Rho made a big salad and then we dined elegantly on a candlelit table on lasagna and red wine. They all drank the wine. I don't drink it. I prefer diet coke. The evening was very cordial and fun, and we spoke on many subjects. We agreed, for example, that Obama has to get tough because he's never going to get a "bi-partisan" health care package. The Republican Party will vote nay on anything Obama wants to do for this country.

.....Well, that's enough of politics. Let's discuss the opening of a new bagel place. The opening of any bagel place is a big event in South Florida. They claim they only use Brooklyn water to make their bagels and that makes a difference. Rho and I went there this morning for breakfast. It's a very unusual bagel place. You have to get on line and give them your order just as if you were in Wendy's. You seat yourself in one of the booths, and shortly they deliver your order, unlike they do at Wendy's. But you have to get your own coffee and if you want water, a bottle is 99 cents. I had a bagel sandwich with bacon, egg, and cheese and Rhoda had a hot corn beef sandwich. Mine was very good and she enjoyed hers. But I doubt if we'll ever go back there. We prefer sitting down and being served in any other bagel place--of which there are several to choose from.

.....When we finished our breakfast we went to a place called Magic Mobility to see about getting a lift for my scooter. We were successful in that venture--we were offered a used lift for my car at half the price of a new one. The new one was somewhat beyond what I wanted to spend--in fact, it was way beyond my price. But the used lift will be ok. When they get a "hitch" for my car, then we'll drive over there and they'll install it for us. When that happens, I will regain my mobility. Although I have a cane, I can only walk about a 100 yards with it before I get enough pain in my leg that I have to stop. So, folks that's all the new development here. Oh, yes. I forgot. I no longer will have a wound care nurse coming here twice a day. It was driving me batty. The wound is not healed, but we'll be seeing the surgeon on Wednesday and he will determine whether it's still healing or not.

A Rambling Wreck (but not from Georgia Tech)

.....I don't know what all the excitement is about. I got three comments welcoming me back. I'm not really back. I don't have plans at this moment to write a blog every day--or every other day. But of course, plans do change as Robert Burns has so brilliantly stated in his poem "To a Mouse" (pronounced 'moose') "...the best laid plans o' mice and men oft gang agley" They even made a movie called "Of Mice and Men" adapted from the book by John Steinbeck. I remember seeing the movie in 1939 and being very impressed by it. George was played by Burgess Meredith and Lennie by Lon Chaney, Jr. It got four stars and four Oscars. There has been another movie with Gary Sinise, I believe. But nobody I know has seen it.

.....Helen Herbstman actually won money on th 2 cent machines at The Isles casino she reminded me on the phone today. When I asked her who told her I wrote a blog, she said she had a dream about it. Ellen Jaeger, a beloved student of mine said that she just happened to check it out by accident. Son Joel welcomed me back excitedly. Jon Tessler (Rho's son) welcomed back the Baron with a bow. I don't know how he happened to come suddenly on the blog. But even with the bow, I am unable to dub him a knight.

.....I replied to Gerard O'Regan's letter to me from Ireland in which he said he is conducting research work on behalf of the Dunkeswell Memorial Museum. The Museum, of course, collects artifacts from my squadron, Fleet Airwing 7. Apparently, he is collecting information about any crew members and the next of kin of those lost in action while based in Dnnkeswell. He wrote in his letter that "Email is not an option." I wrote back that my cursive writing is illegible because my hand has tremors and that the computer and email is a blessing. He particularly wanted information about the crews of Lt. Joseph Kennedy who perished in operation "Aphrodite". The following is all I have.

.....World War II service
During World War II, he left before his final year of law school to begin officer training and flight training in the U.S. Navy. Kennedy earned his wings as a Naval Aviator in May 1942, and was sent to England in September 1943. He piloted land-based PB4Y Liberator patrol bombers on anti-submarine during two tours of duty in the winter of 1943-1944. Kennedy had completed twenty-five combat missions and was eligible to return home. However, he volunteered for an Operation Aphrodite mission instead.

Operation Aphrodite
Operation Aphrodite was a series of bombing runs by explosive-laden aircraft piloted by a skeleton crew who would parachute from the aircraft before detonation. After U.S. Army Air Forces Operation missions were drawn up on July 23, 1944, Kennedy and Lieutenant Wilford John Willy were designated as the first Navy flight crew. Willy had pulled rank over Ensign "FNU" Simpson (who was Kennedy's regular co-pilot) to be on the mission.
They flew a modified version of the B-24 Liberator (code named "Anvil") for the U.S. Navy's first Aphrodite mission. Two Lockheed Ventura mother planes and a navigation plane took off from RAF Fersfield. Next the BQ-8 "robot" aircraft loaded with 21,170 pounds (9,600 kg) of Torpex took off. It was to be used as a guided missile against the V-3 cannon site in Mimoyecques, France.[3]
Following 300 feet behind them was Colonel Elliott Roosevelt — son of the U.S. President, Franklin D. Roosevelt — in a de Havilland Mosquito to film the mission. Kennedy and Willy were aboard as the BQ-8 completed its first remote-control turn. Two minutes later and ten minutes before the planned crew bailout, the Torpex detonated prematurely and destroyed the Liberator. Wreckage landed near the village of Blythburgh in Suffolk, England. (from Wikipedia)

.....And now, his brother, Ted.

Melanoma, the Spanish Dance

It's been two and a half months now since I had a melanoma removed from my left leg just above the ankle. June 15th was the fatal day, and since then I've had wound care nurses coming twice a day to redress that hole in my leg. I imagine that these nurses were ordered by the surgeon. The strange thing is that they also have to wrap up the wound on my right leg that I sustained on the car that Robin rented. You have to be nimble to get into one of those things, Rhoda said, and I'm far from nimble. So now I go around somewhat like a guy out of one of those old Civil War pictures with bandages around both legs that stick out like a sore thumb, and I'm sorry that I had to use an old analogy to describe my appearance. In the first few weeks after the surgery I had unbearable pain. I was ready to slit my wrists or throat whichever would have been faster. However, I remembered that if Rhoda was to get an income from the VA I had to live until February, 2010. That would be the month that provided the ten years I had to live since I was rated 100% "service connected disability". If I didn't live those ten years, Rhoda would not be eligible for that income which at the moment is about $1100 per month. So, slitting my wrists would not be financially the right move. The pain is almost all gone by now, and won't I be the happy camper when that event occurs. Even so, my mobility will be limited unless I get a lift put on the back of my car that would hold my scooter. When that happens I'll be able to go most anywhere. Right now, I'm in the mood to write something...anything...and so this blog. With my cane, which Bobby bought or stole for me, I can walk a little way, and so yesterday I drove to the Coconut Casino where I deposited a few dollars which I'll never see again. I don't know of anyone who has won any money in the Florida casinos. From now on I'm going to stay at the 2 cent slot machines and spend a few hours and dollars there.